27 Responses to Some more images from the Holy Father’s Mass on Sunday

Gosh, well spotted, A. The same question was about to be asked by Surge.

In the previous set of pix, could you put names to the unknown faces in the procession of Cardinal Bishops, presumably those walking just in front of the Holy Father, eg, Gospel side from the back, SREs Sodano & Arinze ? Who is “Cope-man” ?

His Holiness’s secretaries would wear surplices when serving the Holy Father in some way. Since (I assume) they are only assisting in choro here, they wear choir dress (i.e. the rochet). Msgr Ganswein looks to have an interesting design in his lace; does anyone have any clearer pictures?

Like Surge, I was also wondering who the Cardinal in mitre, stole, and cope was and what function he had? This is the picture I think we’re both referring to:

Why is it what the two secretaries are wearing Rochets uncovered in the presence of the Holy Father? According to The Church Visible that is not allowed, in fact not even Cardinals, Patriarchs, or Bishops can wear the Rochet uncovered (must be covered by a mozetta or in the case of some of the monsigniori a manteletta). In the old days monsignors entitled to its use had to cover it with a surplice, however the motu proprio of Pope Paul VI abolished that class of monsignori and the Rochet is now restrained to prelates. This is curious, I wonder if it was a rare privilege granted to his two secretaries in this occasion or a mistake (probably our friend Marini).

1) Wouldn’t the simplest explanation for the secretaries’ choir dress be that they in fact are wearing surplices? The difference to a rochet is marginal, the surplice is the proper choir dress for clerics not entitled to the rochet (I don’t know what rank of prelates they are) and is worn without mozzetta or mantelletta.

2) Cardinal Daoud: it does look like him, although I wouldn’t have thought that an eastern rite Patriarch would be wearing a Latin rite mitre (many Latin rite bishops could take a lead from his choice thereof, though).

3) The “canopy”: I’m as huge a fan of canopies as the next guy, but not THIS one. The thing is something I’m really loathing. With its decidedly seventies commie ugliness it’s entirely spoiling the view of the splendid facade of St. Peter’s. It’s also way too low, and more hiding the holy action than setting it off. In fact it’s the single piece of “liturgical furniture” at the Vatican I’m most keen on getting rid of. (Closely followed if not equalled by the makeshift covering of the Confessio they put in at Pontifical High Masses, so that the Holy Father can sit before the Altar. They simply must find a different solution. Of course, I seem to remember a perfect solution involving a throne beneath the Cathedra, but I’m afraid we’re not going to see that again). Matthew of the New Liturgical Movement – should you read this, perhaps you could come up with some suggestions for these situations?

I read somewhere that before Pope Paul’s reforms, prelates would have their rochets covered with a mantellatta in the presence of a higher prelate, in this case, the Supreme Pontiff. In fact, every prelate in choir in that Papal Mass ought to have been in mantellatta, including the cardinals, who would have worn them over their rochets and under their mozzetta.

While that book is quite useful in many ways, yet it does have a number of inaccuracies in it. We can’t take everything it says as wholly accurate. Better to investigate the documents issued by Pope Paul VI reforming clerical vesture.

Concerning the lace rochets; it is undoubted that they a rochets, not surplices. It is a moot point, however, whether what is worn by +Marini and all his assistants are rochets or surplices! There is nothing really to prove that conclusively.

As lace goes, Msgr. Gaenswein’s rochet was somewhat attractive. But I think another reason why we all love it so much is that it was worn right under the nose of +Msgr Marini.

Unhappy was the delay when the mantaletta was reserved “to the very highest class of Monsignori”: such a beautiful garment which we see so little of! And might I add that a lacey rochet is much improved by being mostly covered by a mantaletta.

But here is a question: why does Msr. Georg Ratzinger wear the mantaletta (he wore it at the “birthday” Mass and the Pope’s Inauguration)? Surely it must be a special privilege accorded him by his brother? In which case, wouldn’t it be nice if the secretaries of the Papal Household were also accorded this privilege?

Now Berolinensis, we are of one mind respecting that frightful canopy which they trot out. But, its use is purely practical, not ceremonial; so if it were very lofty, it wouldn’t keep the sun or the rain off the altar cloths and the Pope.
Michael of the Saint Bede Studio.

I believe that Monsignor Ratzinger gets to wear a mantelletta becuase he is a canon of one of the German cathedrals (Regensburg?) whose chapter share the privileges of Protonotaries Apostolic de numero.

The Canopy of the Altar serves the practical purpose of keeping the sun and rain off the Altar and the Ministers. A new canopy has recently been introduced over the Holy Father’s throne, way behind the Altar, ie the places of presiding and Offering are separated, just as inside. In the last few years of the previous pontificate the Holy Father used to preside from in front of the Altar under the big canopy, to minimise walking, and later wheeling. The red materinal around the big canopy is looking very faded – is it ever to be replaced ?

I think that what the Pope’s secretaries are using is definetely a surplice. Maybe it seems like a rochet
because of its narrow sleeves. But the rochet is always worn beneath a mantellatta or a mozzetta, while
a surplice is worn alone. Since the secretaries are low-rank monsigniors, their corresponding choir vestments
are cassock and surplice.

Considering this, what Msgr. Marini and the other MCs use are also surplices.

By the way, did someone notice the red colour of the ribbons? I think that is a traditional feature of
surplices, rochets and albs reserved for monsigniors, hard to see nowadays. Marvellous!

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